Consumer & audience targeting

Media planning tools

Reputation, PR monitoring and
evaluation

We would like to send you occasional updates about products & services, news and events from Kantar Media. To join the mailing list, please tick the checkbox.
We will never sell your data, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Further information on how your data is used, including our responsibilities and how you can unsubscribe can be found here.

Kantar Media Newsroom: Royal Wedding Bells Sound Like Cha-Ching in the US

Welcome to this week’s Kantar Media Newsroom, your weekly summary of the news that matters in the media and marketing industries. To learn more about how we can help you monitor both paid and earned media and make informed decisions, please contact us at info-us@kantarmedia.com.

Money Talk

Mother’s Day cards 2.0

Hallmark – the company that first got its customers to turn the card over to look at the label – is working to elevate the holiday through targeting social media campaigns to those who love their moms. Thea Neal runs social strategy for Hallmark and is credited for moving Hallmark forward using hashtags, Instagram and Facebook. “Her primary customer is a 24-35-year-old mom 362 days a year, with their loved ones swiping into the customer seat during the three days leading up to Mother’s Day. “Hallmark really resonates with moms,” Neal remarks. “And now, we have a lot of products that really resonate with millennial moms,” like virtual reality greeting cards.” #HappyMothersDay! We hope you enjoyed a mimosa, a thoughtful gift and of course, a card.

Royal wedding = big bucks for US media

Weddings, am I right? Expensive to be the bride and groom, the parents and even the guests! The presents, the outfits, the royal escort and the Queen. Well, okay, maybe most weddings aren’t that impressive, but the wedding of the year is happening this Saturday and everyone seems to be cashing in. Made-for-TV movies, augmented reality apps, a fad diet dubbed the Markle Diet, are just a few of the things US media companies are producing to profit off of the latest royal wedding. The money grab goes beyond broadcast, “some U.S.-based brands, like Kellogg’s, are rolling out major brand integrations in anticipation of the event. Kellogg’s NYC is hosting an early morning cereal-centric viewing party that day, and is already pushing hashtags to encourage participants to document their experience in real time on social media. Dunkin’ Donuts is also capitalizing on the breakfast theme by introducing the Royal Love donut and promising to open its doors extra early that morning.”

The UK gets royal wedding fever too

The stiff upper lip virtually disappears when a royal wedding is announced. UK companies debuting products ahead of the big day are all over the place. Sausage, parsnip chips, and a Legoland Windsor castleare just some of the “moreish” examples of brands trying to get ahead and attract those who are obsessed with the impending nuptials.

Internet-y Things

Net neutrality may not be dead yet

Senate Democrats are looking to vote to revisit the FCC’s net neutrality rules to keep them from being repealed. “The legislation, introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would use authority under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify the FCC’s vote in December to roll back the rules. Under the CRA, lawmakers can force a vote in the Senate with just 30 lawmakers on board.” Democrats have been vocal about the repeal, stating the ruling would lead to discrimination against minorities, educational and rural internet customers with internet service companies being allowed to charge premiums for certain types of content.

Building trust in age of fake news crucial to success

Consumers are going wearier of the e-commerce machine in light of fake news, ad bots and deceptive digital advertising, making it harder but more imperative for companies to build trust with the public. Everyday advocates, transparency, understanding the product review process and using that feedback to improve product or practice are just some of the tips of this Forbes piece. “In an age of cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence, and self-service customer care, it’s curious to acknowledge that the best way to build trust with your customers is by holding an open dialog with your customers. Being more human, transparent, and listening to what people are saying will see your company thrive in an era marked by consumer suspicion.”

One More Thing

Hungry? Here, have some egg white chips

Say what?! You read that right. Egg white chips – bet you can’t just eat one! Actually, the age of funky food is here to stay, with several startups mashing up (haha, get it?!) conventional food and drink for the, well, unconventional. Welcome, Springboard, a “platform launched by Kraft Heinz in March 2018 to nurture, scale, and accelerate the growth of disruptive brands, has announced its inaugural Incubator Program class. The program was created to help nurture and develop the next generation of food and beverage brands, nurturing and being close to entrepreneurs, new ideas and consumer trends.” It named its first picks, out of hundreds of submissions, including Quevos, said egg white snacking chips. “Quevos are salty and crunchy egg-white chips that are low in carbs and fat, and packed with protein. The disruptive brand was founded by young, ambitious University of Chicago students Nick Hamburger and Zach Schreier.” The chosen brands will participate in intensive coaching and mentorship, giving unprecedented access to knowledge in the ever-competitive food & beverage industry.

Kantar Media’s Dimension 2018 is out!

DIMENSION 2018 explores four of the largest issues facing the media industry from improving creative standards and relevance online and achieving greater channel integration. Explore and download here!

Who's on Top? April 30 - May 6, 2018

Amazon promotes family togetherness through its Echo Spot device

Advertisers spent $134 million on new national TV placements last week, a 14% increase over the previous week. The 144th Kentucky Derby raced past the NBA playoffs, which spent the previous three weeks in the top spot. $6.2 million of new ad expenditures went to the Derby.

This week’s creative spotlight, however, belongs to Amazon, whose top new ad touched on the theme of a gift for mom without explicitly mentioning the holiday. The theme of the emotional new creative, “Be Together More”, differs from the more utilitarian uses of the Echo Spot that Amazon promoted in previous commercials